..續本文上一頁s self-immolation, bullet-fire, or starvation. Such actions may be classified as brave and courageous. However, from the Buddhist point of view, such acts are not to be condoned. The Buddha has clearly pointed out that the suicidal states of mind lead to further suffering.
在任何環境或條件下，摧毀自己的生命，無論在精神或道德，都是一種錯誤的行爲。
因受到挫折或絕望而自殺，將造成更大的苦難。以自殺來結束生命是一種懦弱的行爲，如果一個人的心識是純淨和鎮定的，他就不會自殺。如果一個人以離亂和挫折的心情離開人世，他將得不到好的因緣而轉世。自殺是一種不健全和低級的行爲，因爲，自殺者心裏充滿了貪、嗔、癡。自殺者不知道如何面對自己的問題，如何面對生活，如何正確和適當的運用自己的心識。這些人不明了生命的本質和世間的緣起。
有些人爲高貴的理由而奉獻自己的生命。有些人以自己的生命做爲祭祀。有些人采取飲彈、絕食等方式來斷送生命的勇敢行爲，可是，這畢竟是出自人類的盲從和沖動。從佛教的角度來看，這種行爲無法抵消它所造成的惡業。佛陀清楚的指示，自殺會導致更多的痛苦。
Why Does the World Population Increase
爲何世界人口會劇增
There is really no ground to think that this is the only period in which the population of the world has increased.
我們沒有證據證明，目前是世界人口劇增的唯一時代。
If Buddhists do not believe in the soul created by god, how are they going to account for the increase of population in the world today
This is a very common question that is asked by many people today. People who ask this question usually assume that there is only one world where living beings exist. One must consider that it is quite natural for the population to increase in such places where good climatic conditions, medical facilities, food and precautions are available to produce and to protect living beings.
很多人都要問一個很普通的問題：如果佛教不相信人類或靈魂是「神」的「産品」，那麼，如何解釋今天世界人口劇增的問題？他們之所以會問這個問題，是因爲他們假定了生物所居住的世界只有一個。同時他們也可以認爲人口劇增是一件非常自然的事，因爲，這個時代有好的生存條件、好的氣候、醫療普及、物質資源和食物豐富，以及各種有效的防抑自然災害的方法，來捍衛生命和助長生命力。
One must also consider that there is really no ground to think that this is the only period in which the population in the world has increased. There are no means of comparison with any period of ancient history. Vast civilizations existed and have disappeared in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Ancient America. No census figures on these civilizations are even remotely available. Population, as everything else in the universe, is subject to cycles of rise and fall. In cycles of alarming increases of birth rate, one might be consequently tempted to argue against rebirth in this or other worlds. For the last few thousand years, there has been no evidence to prove that there were more people in some parts of the world than there are today. The number of beings existing in the various world systems is truly infinite. If human lives can be compared to only one grain of sand, the number of beings in the universe is like the grains of sand all the beaches in the world. When conditions are right and when supported by their good kamma, a few of these infinite number of beings are reborn as human beings.
我們沒有證據證明，目前是世界人口劇增的唯一時代，但是，我們也沒有足夠的資料來與古代的曆史做比較。中亞、中東、非洲、古美洲，都有大量的文明存在，而後來都消失了。對于這些古文明的研究，我們連一點關于古代人口的資料也沒有發現。人口與世間其他事物一樣，也有起落循環的規律。在這循環規律中，人口驚人的增長。有些人反對這種觀點，也反對有其他世界生命輪回再生的觀念。近幾千年來，我們沒有證據證明，世界某個地方的人口曾經比今天還要多。在宇宙中擁有數不清的生命，就好像全世界海灘的沙一樣多。當因緣條件具足和善業的果報成熟時，在這些衆多的生命當中，有一部份會轉世爲人。
The advancement of medicine especially in the 19th and 20th centuries has enabled human beings to live longer and healthier lives.
This is a factor that contributes to population increase. Population can further increase unless sensible people take measures to control it. Hence, the credit or responsibility of increasing the population must be given to medical facilities and other circumstances available today. This credit or responsibility cannot be allotted to any particular religion or any external sources.
在十九、二十世紀醫學發達，使人類的健康和壽命獲得延長。這就是造成人口劇增的原因。除非有人設法控製，否則人口將越來越多。因此，人口的劇增是由于醫學的發達和生存環境所造成的，不能歸咎于任何宗教或任何外在的因素。
There is a belief among certain people that all unfortunate occurrences that destroy human lives are created by god in order to reduce the population of the world. Instead of giving so much suffering to his own creatures, why cannot he control the population
Why does he create more and more people in thickly populated countries where there is no proper food, clothing and other basic and necessary requirements
Those who believe that god created everything cannot give a satisfactory answer to this question. Poverty, unhappiness, war, hunger, disease, famine are not due to the will of god or to the whim of some devil, but to causes which are not so difficult to discover.
有些人相信，所有不幸的事件，導致生命的摧毀，是「神」的安排，「神」這麼做是爲了減低世界的人口。「神」爲自己創造的生命製造苦難，爲何不去控製「生命」的「産量」。爲何「神」要爲那些貧困、落後的國家，大量的「生産」人口。那些相信「神」是萬能的造物者，無法給予人口問題一個滿意的答覆。貧窮、不幸、戰亂、飢餓、疾病、糧荒都不是「神」的旨意或魔鬼的傑作，真正的原因不難發現。
《節育· 墮胎和自殺 Birth Control, Abortion and Suicide》全文閱讀結束。